You may be aware that we have been running a campaign for the past two years, to get the Government to make it clear what landlords will have to do to meet their energy requirements.  The not least of which is a request to publish the requirements for the new EPC before they publish the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES).

iHowz are currently advising members to do nothing until the new EPC standard (SAP) is published, else you could easily carry out work that proves to be inappropriate – eg, currently installing electric heating will lower your epc rating, almost certainly the new system will encourage electric heating.

Now the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is warning that the lack of advice is stalling landlords’ efforts to make properties greener.

(RICS) has launched a consultation on its draft RICS Residential Retrofit Standard for 2023 which will create a framework for members to use when discussing retrofit options.

Results from its recent survey found that 36% of homeowners would not know how to go about making their homes more environmentally friendly, while 78% would find it helpful if their surveyor could offer retrofitting advice when buying a property.

The RICS believes part of the reason why consumers aren’t retrofitting their homes is that they don’t know where to get advice.

Robust

They need the protection of a robust standard which incorporates flexibility and choice, according to the RICS, which believes its standard will offer a bespoke rather than uniform approach.

It says retrofit assessments that don’t adequately identify defects will almost certainly result in problems that would diminish the effectiveness of a retrofit or could even result in fundamental issues that require costly resolutions.

Antony Parkinson, RICS senior property specialist, says UK homes are not as energy efficient as they could or should be. “This needs to change and we have to act now,” he adds.

“Improving the energy efficiency needs to be incorporated into the ongoing maintenance of our homes. Efficient homes use less energy which will save money and help save the planet.

“We are developing the new RICS retrofit standard at pace so that RICS members can help customers improve the energy efficiency of their homes.”

The eight-week consultation – at https://consultations.rics.org/retrofitstandard/ – runs until 12th September and the standard should be published by the end of the year.